the Cheap Seats

Soprano's Slip?

Sid Rosenberg, of the I-Mus in the morning, and The Mac and Sid show on WFAN, was heard saying that his friend who works on The Sopranos, led him to believe that Adrianna (Drea de Matteo) will be getting "whacked" this season. Apparently the producers of the show called to scold Sid, but they did not really deny that it was true. I guess we will have to wait 3 more episodes to see if it is true. It makes sense though, since Drea de Matteo is the leading lady on the new Friends Spin-off "Joey".

Sales 101

Thinking about going into Sales? My old co-worker "Double Down", from Barstool Sports, has a few words of wisdom for you, and I couldn't agree more. Sales 101. If you live in Boston make sure to tune into his radio show on 1510, the Zone Wednesdays at 7:00pm.

Hockey Headed for Trouble

To the hockey fan, the die-hard, things couldn’t be going better for their sport right now. When you look at the final four, there is a Canadian team (always good) with Calgary marching towards Lord Stanley’s cup, and three teams with extremely low-payrolls. The big spenders were knocked out early (read: Detroit Red Wings) or in some cases didn’t even get in at all (read: the New York Rangers). All is right in the hockey universe, it is a team game. You can’t just buy a championship. There is that unknown commodity that can’t buy bought or sold, it comes only from a team that plays well together and does the little things. That is what hockey is all about the little things.

So what is wrong? Well, a lot to be quite honest. At the end of this season, this great play-off run, the fate of the league hangs in the balance of a labor lock-out. It is a good chance that this is the last time you will see hockey for quite a long time. The problem isn’t that easy to fix. The players want big-time money and the owners don’t have it. Not to mention that the next TV contract is not going to bring in nearly the same amount of money that the previous one brought int. The Calgary-San Jose game did a .7 rating on Sunday. How bad is a .7 on a nationally broadcasted game? The Vans Skateboarding show did a 1.0 and the Arena Football league did a .8.

Players of the Week

MLB announced the players of the week today:

NL: Lyle Overbay 1B Milwaukee- he batted .520 last week with 3 HR's and 11 RBI's including a grand slam home run.

AL: Jose Guillen OF Anaheim- although his week ended with a nasty injury, it may not be that serious and he should be back to his old form, which put up these numbers for the week. batting average (.583), slugging percentage (1.125), on-base percentage (.643), hits (14), total bases (27), home runs (4), and RBIs (11). Not bad.

Mondesi- OUT!

Raul Mondesi announced today that he will not play for the remainder of the season. Oddly enough this comes after a decision was made to lift a court order that had been placed by the Dominican Republic on his bank accounts. I am sure we have not heard the last of this bizarre story.

"I won't play another game this season," Mondesi told The Associated Press. "I can't concentrate well enough to play baseball. I don't want to become a distraction for the team. This is the best for the Pirates, for myself and my family."

Mondesi, 33, said the decision was only for this year and he may return next season.

Cisco Brewers on CNBC, Bullseye, tonight...

The Cisco Brewers will be on Bullseye tonight at 6:00pm on CNBC. Check it out.

Diamond Killers-Week 5

This week, since there were so many bad performances out there, we are going to look at the 5 worst hitters and 5 worst pitchers. I need your help on the last one, Reggie Sanders.

Pitchers:

5. Dontrelle Willis Florida Marlins:After an incredible start to the season the Marlins and Willis have both come down to Earth. I think Willis will rebound, but this was a bad week for him. 5 ER, 8 HA, 2 BBI, 5.0 INN, 3 K, L

4. Matt Herges San Francisco Giants: I never thought that Matt Herges was the answer in the Giants bullpen, but he did very well in the first month. I think he might have woken up one morning and said, "Hey wait a minute this isnt a dream, this is really happening, I am a big league closer. Wait, I am a big league closer?";4 ER, S, 4 HA, 2 BBI, BS, 1.0 INN

(see link for the top 3 underachieving pitchers)

Hitters-

5. Raul Mondesi OF Pittsburgh Pirates: The good news for Mondesi this week was that the Domincan government decided to lift the court order agasinst him, which had his salary tied up in escrow since Febraury. The bad news is that he still isn't a very good baeball player. 0-10, 6 KO, 2 BB, CS, Yikes!

4. Aubrey Huff 3B Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Huff was one of the league's best hitters last season and an up and coming star. Rumor has it that he is in a severe depression over the ending of "Friends" this season. Apparently his locker is an homage to Chandler, Ross and Joey, and once a week he watches the movie "Ed" starring Matt LeBlanc.

We're gonna be up five huney by midnight!

Looking to throw down a little coin on a Saturday afternoon or evening? Here are a few bets that may help you double your allowance.

NBA

Sacramento +6.5. Minnesota is in a must win situation, but that will not scare the Kings who believe this is their year to rise to the thrown. (Yes, I worked on that pun for 15 minutes). Anyway you slice it the game will probably be fairly tight and fairly high-scoring. I don't see Minnesota blowing out the Kings. And let's not forget the Maloof brothers (who own the Kings) own the hottest casino in Vegas. Coincidence? I think not.

MLB

Chicago Cubs -1.5. Jason Jennings (COL) Vs. Greg Maddux (CHC). Maddux has been nasty of late. His last three starts have been very good, Old School Maddux if you will. Jason Jennings has not been so good. He gave up 6 Earned Runs on Monday and his E.R.A. actually went down a little. Not to mention the Cubs hitting is startingto come alive. Take the Cubs, give the runs.

Looking for a place that will take your action? I have used these guys for years, so I can vouch for their credibility, although sad to say I have never actually had to collect.

An African Coup

Balmy evening temperatures perfectly compliment my ice-cold Heineken and fresh grilled fish. I lean back in my chair to admire the starry sky, and am instantly alone, surrounded only by flickering candlelight and the sound of water lapping gently at the dock below.

A mix of foreign oil workers and sailors sit around my table, their Australian, Danish, Scottish and South African accents resonating in the peaceful evening air. All are enjoying a Saturday night dinner at Club Nautico, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

Suddenly, a mobile phone rings, then another. Easy, relaxed faces transform into furrowed brows and tight lips. The calls are from Guinean friends, ministers and members of the government, warning everyone to return home.

Chris, a big Texan with a booming voice and head of one of the major multi-national corporations present on the island, approaches our table as he moves to the door. “There’s trouble in town. The police are out in force and arresting anyone in the streets. We’ve already got two guys in jail.”

The crackdown had begun.

"Look at the big brain on Brett."

Have you ever wondered what brain type you are? There are 16, you know.

Take the test here, record your results here and read about your type here.

I am an "INFJ", see what you are.